We left Fakarava just after high water on Thursday heading for Tahiti, Fakarava had been interesting it is a large atoll with a larger town and well known for its diving, especially the south pass where you can dive with sharks. Not our game I’m afraid.

Fakarava Lagoon

Quiet roads and more varied vegetation than Kauehi

Typical island church

The sail to Tahiti took just over two days with varying strengths of wind from behind and a slightly confused sea but we arrived in Papeete in the early afternoon and secured to a pontoon at marina Papeete our first alongside berth since Shelter Bay and they have the first showers we have seen since Equador.

The town is set back behind an strip of parkland with a waterfront promenade used all the time by joggers and cyclists. We are close to a memorial remembering the atomic testing carried out in the Pacific by various nationalities not just the French.

Atomic testing memorial.

It certainly makes a change to be in a busy town able to buy things that we have been missing since Panama and before that, they actually have chandlery stores with stock in them. The market is great and we went there on Sunday morning to buy fresh veg, fruit and fish. It was closing down by the time we arrived 08.00, but still had adequate stock for our needs. They actually open at 04.30!

Papeete market

The Cathedral

We have arranged to lift Serenity out over the weekend, repair our jammed seacock and give her a coat of antifouling. Our next stop after is likely to be Moorea and then we will continue up through the Society Islands as far as Bora Bora

Moorea our probable next stop just 20 miles away